Africa has unveiled on August 26 a cholera emergency preparedness and response plan for September 2025 to February 2026, spearheaded by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The initiative seeks rapid mobilisation of domestic resources to fund vaccines and medical supplies, with the aim of reducing cholera deaths by 90% and eradicating the disease in at least 20 countries by 2030.
The plan was launched in Lusaka, Zambia, during the 75th WHO Regional Committee for Africa, with President Hakainde Hichilema declaring that ending cholera is not only a health priority, but also a moral and economic imperative aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The urgency of the plan comes against the backdrop of a sharp rise in cholera cases across the continent in 2025, with 213,586 infections and 4,507 deaths recorded in 23 AU member states. Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya and WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi described the roadmap as a strategic blueprint for action, reflecting the united resolve of African governments to eliminate cholera as a public health threat and to build a self-reliant continent capable of producing its own vaccines and health technologies.